Bootstrapping:

Getting MS-DOS Kermit onto an MS-DOS system initially when you don't have
a diskette to read it from, but you do have it on line on another computer...
is called "bootstrapping."  The method used with MS-DOS Kermit is to
download (somehow) a version of the appropriate .EXE (executable binary)
file that has been encoded in all printable characters by the MSBMKB.C program.
The result is then decoded on the PC using a short Basic program.

 MSBMKB.C     The "BOO File Maker" (runs on MS-DOS Systems with Lattice C)
 MSBOOT.FOR   The mainframe side of a BOO-file downloader (in Fortran)
 MSBPCB.BAS   The PC side of the BOO-file downloader (in Microsoft Basic)
 MSBPCT.BAS   Like MSBPCB.BAS, but assumes the BOO file is already downloaded
 MSBRB1.BAS   Like MSBPCB.BAS, but runs under Rainbow CP/M-86 Basic
 MSV*.BOO     The BOO files for each version of MS-DOS Kermit, e.g. MSVIBM.BOO.

The bootstrapping procedure is described in detail in the MS-DOS chapter of
the Kermit User Guide.
